On April 1, 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food chain, ran a full-page ad in the New York Times with this news: In an effort to help the national debt, Taco Bell is pleased to announce that we have agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell, one of our country's most historic treasures. It will now be called the Taco Liberty Bell and will still be accessible to the American public for viewing. While some may find this controversial, we hope our move will prompt other corporations to take similar action to do their part to reduce the country's debt.
a. Assuming Taco Bell was sincere in its stated intention, under current federal government budgeting rules, selling the Liberty Bell would the budget deficit and the national deb